A True American

A Paul Roberts Cinema release. Produced, directed, written, edited by Paul Roberts. Executive producer, Ann Olabisi Roberts.

Leroy Jones ... Dwight Martin
Carlos Rodriguez ... Juvencio Gonzalez Jr.
Denise Dickenson ... Garnet Miller
Mike Morand ... Bill Brown
Vince Newell ... Alex Phillips
Thomas Jenkins ... Mark Miller

Recent news stories have spotlighted African-Americans' suspicions of CIA skullduggery aimed at blacks. Such fears find a fictional counterpart in "A True American," an ultra-low-budget paranoia fest by first-time filmmaker Paul Roberts, a Nigerian now residing in Philadelphia. Though credulity-stretching and amateurish on virtually every level, pic's evident sincerity and topicality could make it a conversation piece for select fest and urban auds. First commercial engagements begin Nov. 15 in Harlem and Chicago, with several more skedded to follow in December.

Tale's prologue shows Leroy Jones (Dwight Martin), a black CIA operative, observing Americans dumping nuclear waste in an African country, then being ordered by a superior to keep his mouth shut. Skip to the present and Leroy, now a CIA senior analyst in the U.S., must face the consequences of that cover-up. The buried nuclear waste has contaminated the nation's cocoa crop, which is used by U.S. manufacturers whose chocolate products, from cereals to Easter eggs, are now spreading radioactive poison around the globe.

Rather than face international embarrassment and enmity, Leroy's bosses order his committee of six to squelch the information. A company man who imagines that his loyalty makes him "a true American," Leroy wavers at this new command while others on his committee begin meeting mysterious deaths.

Story's premise demands belief that a worldwide plague of radioactive chocolate products could be kept secret for years as long as a few mid-level CIA managers stayed mum. This sort of earnest absurdity characterizes the tale, which is long on "Parallax View"-style political suspicions but short on realistic grounding. A bigger problem is that, apart from one bizarrely inserted action sequence, pic is mostly lengthy scenes of stilted dialogue, much of it staged in monotonous talking-heads style against blah sets. In several sequences set in a disco, the film pauses at length to gaze at the ambient dancers; there's no discernible reason other than the impression that offscreen obligations may impel the director to feature these gyrating folks.

While pic's thesping generally stays at the community theater level, Martin is likable if stolid as Leroy, and Garnet Miller, as his love interest, registers an appealing screen presence. There are also solid turns by Bill Brown and Juvencio Gonzalez Jr. as two of Leroy's cohorts. Tech credits reflect pic's impoverished means, with occasional muddy sound being a notable problem.

Camera (color, 16mm-to-35mm blow-up), Abe Holtz; music, Leroy Schuler; production design, Robert King; sound , Lawrence Poncek, Ronn Watson, Tom Agnello; associate producers, Michelle L. Watson, Garnet Miller, C. Fox Collins. Reviewed on videocassette, N.Y., Nov. 5, 1996. Running time: 95 MIN.

Variety is striving to present the most thorough review database. To report inaccuracies in review credits, please click here. We do not currently list below-the-line credits, although we hope to include them in the future. Please note we may not respond to every suggestion. Your assistance is appreciated.